Abstract
With the increasing number of people with disabilities caused by an aging global population, the need for long-term care is gradually increasing. Nursing assistants (NAs) are the primary providers of direct care services to older adults with disabilities, whose knowledge, skills, and beliefs affect the quality of care provided. This study aimed to investigate the influential factors affecting NAs’ current competences. A total of 255 NAs’ valid questionnaires were collected from 20 long-term care institutions in Taiwan through convenience sampling. The questionnaire comprised dimensions of demographics and care competence. The study results indicated that NAs had the greatest care competence in the domain of recognition of patient rights (4.64 ± 0.54 points). The multiple regression indicated that age, religion, job category, disability care experience, the receiving of performance bonuses, and the receiving of year-end bonuses significantly affected the level of care competence (p < 0.05). With the aforementioned findings, the results of this study serve as references for the government in employing long-term care NAs and developing management policies. Training programs for NAs should be developed to improve the quality of care provided to older adults with disabilities.
Highlights
An aging population is a serious problem of global concern
The Nursing assistants (NAs)’s age, level of education, disability care experience, receiving performance bonuses, and receiving of year-end bonuses were correlated with their care competence
The results of this study serve as references for the government in the recruitment of NAs for long-term care (LTC) and management policy development
Summary
An aging population is a serious problem of global concern. According to statistics from the United Nations, 9% of people worldwide were >65 years old in 2019, and this figure is projected to increase to 16% by 2050 [1]. Taiwan’s society became an aged society in 2018, and it is estimated to become a super-aged society by 2026 [2]. Similar to other developed countries, Taiwan’s low total fertility rate has transformed family structures in Taiwan. Care functions from familial support have declined, and this has, in turn, increased the long-term care (LTC) needs and social burden in Taiwan. The promotion of LTC has become an urgent policy matter in Taiwan and many other countries
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
